In early May 2024, we moved to our brand new headquarters in Oslo, Grensen 9B. Years in the making, the building, originally constructed in 1978, has been transformed to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible, perfectly aligning with our core values of being Bold, Caring, and Driven.
A Building Designed For Future Growth
Ardoq’s sustained growth over the last ten years necessitated larger premises with room for us to expand our workforce further. Our capital raise in 2022 kickstarted a rapid pace of change that allowed us to almost double our number of employees across four locations worldwide: Oslo, Copenhagen, London, and New York.
The new HQ is at the end of the passage to Grensen 9, which, along with the surrounding courtyard, has been revitalized. The building’s instantly recognizable façade has remained the same, besides a few minor changes, with the bulk of the project focused on rehabilitating the building and re-establishing its original qualities.
Grensen 9B is located in a prime Oslo city center location close to many public transport options, including Stortinget metro station. As a result, no car parking spaces have been established to encourage the use of sustainable methods of travel.
With a new headquarters in place, we look towards the future as we continue to challenge the Enterprise Architecture field and ourselves.
How Grensen 9B Was Designed To Be As Sustainable As Possible
“When we were presented with Grensen 9B, the project clearly stood out with its forward-leaning approach to rehabilitation. The green shift will not happen by itself, and in addition to providing a software platform that helps businesses to achieve change, we are happy that our new HQ contributes to positive environmental impact.”
- Nick Peters, COO at Ardoq
Grensen 9B is a reuse project that was designed to follow FutureBuilt’s criteria for circular buildings.
The FutureBuilt program is a collaboration between six municipalities in the Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger regions to demonstrate that climate-neutral urban areas based on high-quality architecture are possible. They aim to do this by completing 100 pilot projects like Grensen 9B that cut carbon emissions within the fields of transport, energy, and materials by at least 50% compared to current regulations and common practice.
The revitalized building has also been certified as BREEAM NOR Very Good. Norway’s version of Britain’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, BREEAM NOR is Norway's most widely used environmental certification system for buildings. To meet BREAAM’s standards, buildings must demonstrate they meet sustainability criteria in categories such as management, energy, transportation, materials, and waste. Architects used Life Cycle Assessment calculations to select materials that produce the lowest possible CO2 emissions.
Not only have materials been selected to be good for the environment and reusable, but as many elements as possible from the original construction have been given a new life, including ventilation ducting, electrical cables, plaster boards, ceiling panels, insulation, and glass bricks. A treasure trove of all sorts of interesting items was discovered during the renovation process, so who knows what sort of stories could be inside those walls?
Where possible, instead of being purchased brand-new, materials have been resourced from other locations with their own rich histories. The floor’s 5000 pieces, for example, were previously found in places like Kongsvinger Fire Station, Spjelkavik School, and Oslo Atrium. Perhaps the most exciting example of reuse, however, is the 58 meters of rails we sourced from the city’s historic tram system which now serve as the backbone for the stairs and walkways, ascending to the sixth-floor mezzanine.
Our efforts have resulted in 97% of the raw building above ground being preserved and greenhouse gas emissions related to materials being reduced by 93% compared to office building averages.
Any materials from the old building with life left in them that were not used in the project were donated to, among others, the Circular Resource Center’s building material warehouse in Økern.
The building is connected to a district heating network and equipped with a reversible cooling machine/heat pump, allowing an adaptive approach to temperature regulation. Other energy efficiency measures include good insulation of floors, walls, and roofs, demand control, energy-efficient fans and pumps, and energy-efficient LED lighting. This has reduced energy needs by 54% and resulted in an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of B.
Resource-saving efforts continue beyond heating and cooling. The building’s water system is designed to limit water consumption and quickly detect leaks. Water meters are installed throughout that can flag abnormal water consumption, and water-saving fixtures only supply water when needed.
A Workspace Designed to Inspire
“We wanted new premises that were spacious, modern, and, of course, functional, but it was also important that they fit with our culture and the kind of company we are and want to be."
- Nick Peters
Grensen 9B’s 3500 m2 of space, consisting of six floors and two below-ground levels, makes it well suited for all types of gathering. The 5th and 6th floors have been opened up as one room to improve daylight conditions and provide a greater sense of space. Outdoor terraces on both sides of the building and a roof terrace on the 6th floor will definitely be popular with Ardoqians when the sun shines.
“Throughout our time at Share in Oslo, we have seen how important good arenas are for networking, and we hope that our new premises can host events that encourage learning, social connections, and development,” said Nick.
At the core of our work philosophy is the idea of supporting and encouraging every type of work and the different working preferences of our employees. To this end, each floor of the building incorporates four clearly defined zones with different functions and purposes.
Social/external: Focal points for social interaction and external connections.
Collaboration: Areas designed for creative interaction and either spontaneous or scheduled meetings. These can be open, semi-closed, or closed.
Individual: Areas for individual work with proximity to key team members, divided into smaller zones by focus rooms.
Focus: Separated areas for work that requires concentration, phone calls, or virtual meetings.
Commemorating our achievements and hopefully inspiring more is a timeline that marks key events in our growth and development journey.
“I am enormously proud of what this project has achieved in terms of being sustainable and forward-thinking,” said Erik Bakstad, Ardoq’s CEO. “I look forward to Grensen 9B being our home for many years to come.”
See more photos of our new home in the slider below.
